The present invention relates generally to an interface for connecting sensor equipment to a monitoring system.
Various physiological parameters of a patient are monitored during many medical procedures. These physiological parameters may be blood pressure, temperature, rate-of-fluid flow, or other vital signs that provide the physician or medical technician with critical information related to the status of a patient's condition.
One device that is widely used to monitor physiological parameters is the blood pressure sensor. A blood pressure sensor is often included in a sensor guide wire for intravascular measurements. The blood pressure sensor senses a patient's blood pressure and provides a representative electrical signal that is transmitted to the exterior of the patient. For most applications, the sensor must be electrically energized. To transmit energy and the signal representative of the patient's blood pressure, thin electrical leads are often provided inside the guide wire. The guide wire is generally in the form of a tube (e.g., having an outer diameter of 0.35 mm), which is often made of stainless steel.
Monitoring systems are used in a medical environment to receive and process information related to the patient's physiological parameters. A sensor (e.g., a blood pressure sensor) may be directly connected to a monitor of the monitoring system via a sensor guide wire. Alternatively, the sensor may be connected to the monitor via a receiver or other intermediary device. In one embodiment utilizing a receiver, the sensor guide wire sends a wireless signal to the receiver, which is directly connected to the monitor. The monitor typically includes a channel used to connect the sensor equipment (e.g., the sensor guide wire or the receiver) to the monitor. Through this channel, the sensor equipment may be powered by the monitor.